Walking In Your Shoes
by L's-Willing-Slave
Summary: Bonnie casts a spell to make Damon human. It works in an unexpected way... he and Elena have switched bodies. Now they have to survive tomb vampires, and Stefan's affections for the both of them, while pretending to be one another. On top of that, Klaus will be coming to town soon enough with plans for a certain ritual. Damon/Stefan/Elena in all ways plus minor pairings
1. Chapter 1

**A.N:** _I know this has been done before, but none of the other versions did what I wanted- included Salvatoreslash. It's the perfect opportunity for it! Wrote this mostly to appease myself, haha._

**Disclaimer:** _I don't own The Vampire Diaries._

* * *

Chapter 1

It was all his fault. Damon Salvatore. Bonnie hated him. The mere thought of him made her blood boil. Grams had died because of him. Died so he could get some ancient vampire out of tomb. And _she hadn't even been there_. Pointless... it all had been pointless...

As she set out the candles, the only thing on her mind was revenge. Damon Salvatore would never be able to hurt anyone ever again.

She had found a spell to turn him human.

* * *

Another bottle drained, and he felt no better. Alcohol was doing nothing to drown his sorrows. How could it? It couldn't change things- couldn't make it so Katherine actually cared about him. Couldn't erase the betrayal he felt.

All those years, waiting for the right time to save her, devoted and still in love... for nothing. For a vampire that couldn't care less about him.

"Damon?"

He looked up, taken aback to see Elena only a few feet away from him. He hadn't even heard her enter. He was really out of it. "Stefan's upstairs," he said, wishing her away. He didn't need Miss Doppelganger here to remind him of his pain.

She took another step towards him, big brown eyes analyzing him. "Are you okay?"

He sighed, setting down his drink and pacing away from her. "Yes, Elena. I'm fine."

"Damon... if you need to talk to someone-"

"_I'm fine_." He scowled at her. "All because I waited 145 years to get Katherine out of the tomb, and she wasn't there, doesn't mean I need to talk. I had one goal for all that time, and I succeeded. I opened the tomb. I'm feeling accomplished." A lie, but why should he bother with the truth right now? "Just go away, Elena."

She sighed, turning to leave. Halfway to the door, she paused and changed her direction to him. Lithe arms wrapped around him, as she pulled him into a tight embrace. On her tip toes, she whispered into his right ear, "I'm here for you if you need me."

They suddenly pulled away from each other, both crying out at a sudden pain.

"What just happened?" demanded Elena, gasping for breath.

"How would I know?" he asked.

Elena stared at him strangely, leaving the house.

* * *

Elena woke to the feeling of the sun on her face, gently stretching. She opened her eyes, gazing at the ceiling. Was it always that high up? She frowned, lowering her gaze to take in the room. A giant bookcase rested against one wall, and the bed was quite a bit larger than what she was used to. Where _was _she?

She got to her feet, pausing as she saw her body in the process. Hard, muscled, masculine chest. Boxers. Strong, muscular legs. Elena caught sight of a mirror across the room.

She screamed.

The sudden appearance of Stefan before her did nothing to calm her down, as she jumped back in surprise.

"What's wrong?" he asked, looking around for the cause of distress. After finding nothing worth screaming over, he directed his forest green eyes back at her. "Why'd you yell?"

"I... uh..." Could she tell him? No, no, it was too weird! She didn't want him to know she was in _Damon's_ _body_. Still, she had to answer him. "I saw a spider." She immediately cursed her stupidity. Damon? Scared of a spider?

Stefan sighed. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to. Just know I'm here for you if you need me."

"...right. Thanks."

Stefan eyed her strangely, before leaving the room.

She once more caught sight of herself in the mirror. _Oh, my God. I'm Damon! _But if she was Damon... who was he?

_Me, obviously..._ She barely held back yet another scream. They sounded weird coming from Damon.

* * *

He was going to _kill _that witch. As he gazed at the beautiful girl in the mirror, he cursed Bonnie to high hell. She needed to die. He'd make her fix this, and then he'd rip her head off.

"Elena?" The voice came from downstairs. It was 'Aunt Jenna'. "I made some breakfast!"

No way was he going to go down there and socialize with Elena's family. "I'm... I'm not feeling well!" he called down, quickly returning to the bedroom and tucking himself into bed, pulling the blanket up to his chin. He closed his eyes, doing his best to look exhausted and ill. Luckily Jenna had work during the day, and would be leaving soon.

He needed to call himself as soon as possible. He needed to make sure Elena was in his body, and figure out what to do from there. Before she could be overtaken by bloodlust and kill someone. That was the last thing he needed right now. He reached for the phone on the nightstand, quickly typing away a message. He grimaced at the sight of long, slender fingers. It was bad enough that he had to deal with so much hair.

To: Damon

_I'll meet you at the Boarding House in half an hour. We need to talk._

* * *

Elena gulped down yet another bag of blood, so, so grateful that Damon had an ice chest full of them. She didn't know if she'd be able to handle her hunger otherwise. Is this what bloodlust felt like? Raw desire, head pounding and gums aching? She wanted to bury these fangs into a soft, delicious neck and drink forever. The thought of fresh, warm blood was dizzying.

"Elena?"

She looked up from her position on the floor, nearly shocked out of her bloodlust at the sight of herself only a few feet away. "...Damon?" Her voice was weak, and begged for help. It sounded heartbreaking in Damon's voice.

Her body- no, _Damon_- sighed. "I thought this might happen." He offered a hand. Elena took it, allowing Damon to help her up. She wiped at her mouth, her hand coming away red. Unable to help herself, she licked it off.

"I don't like being you," she stated, before getting a good look at Damon in her body. She gasped. "What did you _do _to me?"

Her long brown hair was a fluffy, knotted mess, some strands sticking straight up. Her face lacked even a spot of makeup, the mere sight leaving her feeling as if her body might as well be naked. And with the horrible, mismatching outfit, naked might be better. She didn't even know she owned those neon green, baggy shorts, or that ill-fitting pink tank top.

"I got here as quickly as I could," stated Damon, seeming indifferent to her horror. "We need to figure out what we're going to do about this. I refuse to go to school for you."

"Well, how did this even happen?" Elena asked, even as they both knew the answer. Damon didn't reply, and she sighed, giving in. "Bonnie."

"So we need to visit the witch?"

"She's out of town at her aunt's house for Spring Break, and she hasn't answered any of my calls," said Elena. "I don't even know where her aunt's house is. If we can't find a way to contact her, we'll have to wait at least a week for school to start again."

He appeared thoughtful. It was strange, watching her features express Damon's feelings. She was surprised Stefan couldn't tell just by looking at Damon's body that it was her, Elena. They held themselves very differently, and their expressions had little in common.

"We'll figure something out," he said, eventually. "Until then, what do you want to do?"

"Well... I don't want Stefan to find out," she admitted. "He'll freak if he knows you're in my body."

"Why? Because I can see you naked?" A smirk that most definitely didn't belong on Elena's face tugged at feminine features.

Elena took a deep breath, slowly letting it out. She was _not _going to rip her own body's head off... "I know it's impossible to avoid seeing completely, but can you at least not go out of your way to see me naked?"

He shrugged. "I'll try. Can't make any promises. You do realize that not telling Stefan means we have to pretend to be each other?"

"Yes, I realize that," she said. "It means you have to hang out with my friends and be nice to Stefan."

"And you have to go to the Founder's Council and be a dick to Stefan."

"You're on the Founder's Council?" Elena asked.

"Yep. I'm a pretty big part of it, actually. Can't afford to lose my influence in it." He paused, then added, "I'm not kissing Stefan."

Elena cringed. That's right. Stefan would be alerted by the sudden lack of physical contact. "Could you try to?"

"You're really asking me to kiss my brother?"

"I don't want to ruin my relationship with him," she replied, blushing at the mental images being painted in her mind. So vampires _could _blush. "Look, I'm not saying you have to make out with him. Just... humor him a bit."

* * *

Damon laid out on his stomach on Elena's bed, flipping through her diary. The day had been boring as hell, with absolutely nothing to do. Caroline had been off with Matt somewhere, and even if she hadn't been busy, hanging out with her didn't sound like a good time. Still, it would probably be better than staying home alone.

"Elena?"

Damon sat up, casting his gaze at Stefan, setting the journal on the nightstand. "What are you doing here?" Only after did he realize that probably wasn't the best thing to say. Luckily, Stefan paid no mind to it.

"You didn't respond to any of my texts. Is everything alright?" Stefan sat down beside Damon, forest green eyes searching brown.

"Yeah. Just didn't feel too well," Damon half-lied. It was true- being in Elena's body had shaken him up. He tensed as his brother ran a hand through tangled brown locks, eyes reflecting confusion. Damon figured it was because Elena was usually cleaned up and beautiful.

"You do know I'm here for you, if you ever need to talk, right?"

"...of course," Damon replied, anxious for this moment to end. A hand cupped his face, and his heart instantly began racing in his chest. He gasped, taken aback by the sensation. He had forgotten this part of being human...

So distracted, he didn't notice as lips descended onto his. Stefan pulled away at the lack of response. "I should probably get back. Damon's acting weird."

"Y-yeah." Damon gently touched his tingling lips. It had been so long since he had kissed his brother. Since he had declared he wanted nothing to do with his little brother's desire for physical touch with him.

Only now did it occur to him that this was his chance. He could touch all he wanted, without breaking his promise to never let Stefan touch him again. Stefan deserved to suffer from the lack of more-than-brotherly attention, and still would.

The only difference was that Damon wouldn't have to suffer from it anymore.

* * *

**A.N:** _Heya! If you liked this story, have suggestions, or have some constructive criticism for me, then please review! It encourages me to write more, too!_


	2. Chapter 2

**A.N:**_ Just want to say thank you to everyone who reviewed! To those that are still reading, I hope you enjoy this chapter! _

**Notice: **_In case you somehow remained oblivious up to this point, this story contains both het and slash. _

**Disclaimer:**_ Still don't own The Vampire Diaries. JSYK._

Chapter 2

Elena closed her eyes, forcing herself to breath slowly and fully. Coming to the Grill had been a terrible idea. So much blood... pumping just beneath the surface...

God, it was like she could _feel _the blood in Matt's neck, and she hadn't even moved from her seat and attacked him or anything. He was with Caroline right now, so she couldn't get away with eating him even if she wanted to. Her gaze fell on a pretty brunette, and she swallowed hard. Bloodlust wasn't the only kind of 'lust' she was resisting. How lovely it would be to just sink her fangs into a warm neck, and sink something else into warmth...

She groaned, Damon's voice leaving her lips. Was this what it was like being him? She _wanted_. She wanted _everything_. How did he ever resist? She licked her lips, the sound of pumping blood leaving her dizzy. She closed her eyes. She couldn't do this. She needed help.

Pulling out Damon's phone, she hesitated. Her first instinct was to call 'Elena', but what if she just ended up eating her own body? Damon was in her human body now- what if she _murdered and raped herself_? No, she couldn't call him. He would be of no help in his current condition. She bit her lip, scanning the limited contacts list. It was probably a horrible idea, but she could think of no one better.

She hit call.

* * *

Damon washed his hands. He had been worried about using the toilet, but it turned out to not be that big of a deal. He was just glad Elena wasn't on her period. The sound of the doorbell caught his attention, and he made his way downstairs. He was unsurprised to find Stefan at the door. Half the time he rang the doorbell, the other half he just appeared in Elena's bedroom.

"Hey," said Stefan, a small smile on his face. "Have you eaten dinner yet?"

Now that Stefan mentioned it, Damon was quite hungry. "Nah, not yet."

Stefan revealed a basket. "Come on, we can have a picnic."

Damon resisted the urge to laugh. Was he really going to go on a romantic picnic with his brother? He managed to pass the laugh off as happiness instead of disbelief and mockery. What would Elena say? "Nice." ...that didn't sound particularly Elena-ish, but Stefan wasn't alerted, so he guessed it didn't matter. Stefan held out a hand, and Damon took it, allowing himself to be guided out of the house. Fingers soon intertwined, as they made their way down the street.

Elena really owed Damon for this. There were so many things he wanted to say to Stefan right now. So many opportunities to rip him to shreds. The moment Stefan realized Damon wasn't Elena, though, _Stefan _would be the one with the upper hand. Stefan would be the one ripping Damon to shreds. So instead Damon remained quiet, playing along.

They stopped at a park. Stefan set a blanket down on the grass, placing the basket on one side. He sat on the other, tugging Damon down beside him. The silence of the walk had left Damon jittery and anxious, just wanting it all to be over with.

Stefan ran a hand through Damon's soft brown locks. They were fluffy, but after a shower with plenty of conditioner he had at least removed the tangles. He gave up when it came to makeup, but had decided to at least try and match. He wondered how Elena would feel about the overtly sexy outfits.

Something was placed in his hands, and he looked down to see a sandwich. Stefan... had made him a sandwich? Seriously? A smile quirked at his lips. "I didn't know you could make food."

Stefan laughed. "I can't promise it's any good. You just seemed to be in a weird mood lately, so I decided a picnic might be nice."

Damon batted his eyelashes, even though he knew it hardly worked without the usual mascara. "Thank you." Oh, Elena had better thank him for-

Lips were suddenly on his, and his mind went into hyper drive. Stefan was kissing him. It had been so long... and it couldn't hurt to respond, not in this body... Stefan went to pull away when he got no response, but Damon followed him, keeping their lips connected. He placed his hands on strong shoulders to hold himself up, nearly sitting in Stefan's lap as he deepened the kiss.

When they finally pulled apart, Stefan whispered, forehead pressed to Damon's, "I love you, Elena."

Damon flinched. He couldn't help it. That had been an effective mood killer. "...me too," he finally responded. It wasn't a lie, so much as a play on words. Damon also loved Elena. Before Stefan could say anything else, Damon pulled him back into a kiss.

* * *

"So why are you here, again?" Alaric sat in a recliner, drinking a cup of Bourbon. Elena had one in hand, but had only taken a sip of it so far.

"I told you. I need to get away from people I can kill or compel to have sex with me."

Alaric sighed. "If you really think staying here makes people safer, then stay as long as you need. Just don't drink _all _my Bourbon. I'll be grading papers if you need anything."

* * *

The picnic had been surprisingly delicious. Damon still found it lame and corny, though. He was being romanced by his brother. Whatever they had in the past, it was rough and passionate, and _sometimes_ comforting. But never was it _sweet and romantic_. He didn't know how he had restricted himself to only three sarcastic comments during the picnic.

They were on their way back to Elena's house when Stefan's phone began to ring. As he answered it, Damon really missed his super hearing.

"I see...yes...I'll be right there," said Stefan, hanging up. "Sorry, Elena. I need to go."

"What's going on?" Damon asked. He really hoped Elena wasn't messing things up for him...

"It's Damon. Alaric says he's acting really weird," said Stefan.

"Weird how?"

"I don't know- that's all he said. He sounded panicked, though."

_Damon _was becoming panicked. "I'll come with you."

"That's unnecess-"

"_I'm going with you_," Damon insisted. At the surprised look, he added, "He listens to me better."

* * *

"Damon, _stop it_."

Elena had Alaric backed up against a wall, her hands braced against the wall on either side of his shoulders as she nuzzled his neck. It smelled so delicious... "Mm, I want to eat you," she said, voice coming out in a breath against heated flesh.

Alaric shivered. "Damon, I'm serious. I know you're not in the best of moods lately, but that doesn't mean I'm going to let you eat me." He went to duck under Elena's arms, but she quickly slammed him back into the wall, thrilling in the sound of a pounding heart. Alaric groaned, pressing a hand to his head.

"Damon, get off of Alaric."

Elena blinked, turning her head to see Stefan. And... Damon, in her body. She stared for a moment. She was unaware she owned such a revealing dress. Was Damon buying new clothes or were these really buried in her closet? Alaric took advantage of her distraction, escaping from her grip. He was soon across the room, a crossbow in hand.

"What are you _doing_?" Damon demanded. "Attacking Ric?"

Elena scowled at him. Like it was her fault? It was _his _body making her this way. "I can't help it, _Elena_. It's a miracle I've resisted biting him for the last hour and a half."

"Are you going to take care of him?" asked Alaric.

Stefan sighed. "Damon, I told you, if you need any help I'll help you." Green eyes were pleading. "Come home with me."

Elena hesitated, but couldn't resist his plea for long. Could he really help? Would he really keep her from eating innocent people and having sex with strangers? Searching Stefan's eyes, she felt reassured. She could trust him. She gave a curt nod. He was immediately at her side, a hand on her back guiding her in the right direction.

"Elena, do you mind driving home by yourself?" asked Stefan.

"Not at all," Damon replied. Still, his eyes remained narrowed as he watched them pass. Elena grimaced. He was clearly upset at her. She _had_ just tried to maul one of his few almost-friends...

The 'walk' home had been quick, as Stefan utilized vampire-running, forcing Elena to do so as well in order to keep up.

The door to the Salvatore Boarding House closed behind them. Stefan gazed at her for a long moment. "What's going on with you, Damon? Attacking Alaric... it's not like you."

"What do you care? It's not like I could kill him, with that ring of his," she defended.

"I care because you're my brother, Damon, and brother's look out for each other," said Stefan. "I care because you're finally beginning to show humanity, and I'll do whatever it takes to help you keep this part of you. So long as you let me help."

Elena was nearly brought to tears. She wanted little more than to embrace her boyfriend and tell him how much she loved him. She held back, however, knowing that would ruin everything. No, she had to act like Damon... She managed to keep the regret out of her voice as she said, "That's your problem, Stefan. You assume 'humanity' is a desirable trait. I don't _want _your help, and I don't need it. I'm perfect just the way I am, as a predator." She turned to the door. "I'll find someone that can _actually _help. Maybe a pretty little brunette."

Stefan appeared before her, halting her trek to the door. "I'm not giving up on you."

"It's not your choice to make."

"You came home with me for a reason. It wasn't just to blow me off and leave." Stefan stared deeply into her eyes, searchingly.

Elena went to walk around Stefan, only to have all thoughts frozen. Stefan... was kissing her. She groaned, feeling her borrowed body respond. She missed this. Missed kissing her boyfriend.

_...but he thinks I'm Damon..._ Elena forced herself away, with such abruptness that Stefan was left confused for a moment as to what had happened. _Why _had Stefan just kissed _his brother_? She opened her mouth to say something, but nothing came out. What was there to say? She had to get out of here, before she gave herself away. She needed answers.

* * *

"-and then he _kissed _me. Damon, why was Stefan trying to kiss you? You're brothers!"

"Why do you think? You're an idiot if you can't figure it out," Damon replied, rolling his eyes. "At least tell me you said something hurtful before you ran away."

"I was too busy freaking out that my boyfriend would kiss his own brother," she said. "It's weird enough that he'd cheat on me, but with you?"

Damon couldn't help himself. He broke into full out laughter. The look of hurt Elena placed on his face only made him laugh harder. "Seriously? It's ok for him to kiss me in your body, but not in my own?" Elena's eyes widened, and he knew he had gotten to her. He settled down, smirk firmly in place. He couldn't get rid of it if he tried. "One hundred and forty-five years is a long time to be alone with one person. Granted, we didn't spend all that time together, but we spent quite a bit of it together. Eventually, we ended up getting physical."

"That's sick," said Elena, yet somehow her features didn't reflect her statement. If anything, there was curiosity. "What happened?"

Damon shrugged. "Same thing that always happens. I realized I was making him happy. My life goal is to make his life an eternity of misery, so I told him he's disgusting and I wanted nothing to do with him anymore. Don't know if he believed me, but it definitely ruined his mood."

"Does he... try to get things to be like that very often?"

And _there _was a question Damon didn't want to answer. "No."

Blue eyes narrowed. "What are you not telling me? If I'm going to pretend to be you, I need to know."

It was a bullshit reason and they both knew it. Elena was just curious. Too bad. She wasn't entitled to know every detail of Damon's existence. "Just mock him if he tries anything, and he'll believe you're me."

"But-"

The door swung open, both of them looking up. Jeremy stood in the doorway, eying the two of them strangely. "...do you know where the extra toothpaste is? We ran out." Damon was quite pleased with Jeremy's choice of just pretending the situation didn't exist.

"Under the sink," Elena answered. _That _got a strange look from Jeremy. All the same, he thanked her and left.

"Nice going," said Damon. "Stir the pot a bit. Make it seem like you and I are up to something together." He flashed overtly flirty eyes at her. He had practiced his expressions in the mirror, and he had to say that this one was quite nice.

Elena cast him a glare. "I am _not _letting you ruin my relationship with Stefan."

"Oh, I won't be. It's you that will, if you don't turn down his advances."

Damon rejoiced at the horrified look on his body in a way he never thought he would. Then he realized others could very well be privy to such an expression on his body. At this rate, by the time the witch came back, he would probably be too humiliated to want his body back.


	3. Chapter 3

**A.N:**_ Thank you, thank you, thank you, to everyone that reviewed :) Here's another chappie!_

**Disclaimer:** _Still don't own The Vampire Diaries._

Chapter 3

_Slurp. Slurrrp. _Mmm. Blood. Elena took her time with the blood bag, lounging on a sofa in the main room of the Salvatore Boarding House. Stefan had spent the night at her house last night, so she hadn't had to deal with the whole kissing thing yet. She hoped she wouldn't have to. She wasn't sure she'd be able to resist him.

She missed her life. Missed hanging out with her friends, and going on dates with her boyfriend. Tomorrow spring break ended, and if they were lucky Bonnie would be able to change them back right away.

_It won't change the fact Stefan wants to make out with Damon... _She tried to get that thought out of her head, but it refused to budge. It only grew and swelled. _Is he just playing with my emotions? He seems to sincerely love me, but if he does, why would he-_

Elena froze, looking up from her blood bag. Silent as can be, she had only heard someone entering because of her advanced vampire hearing. Before her stood Anna and her mother... Pearl? She swallowed hard. Pearl's eyes were steely and dangerous.

She wasn't sure if Damon could fight her off or not, but she knew for a fact that she- Elena- in Damon's body sure couldn't. Hopefully they weren't here to kill her. Damon would never forgive her if she got his body killed. _He also wouldn't forgive me if I made him look like a wimp. _She forced herself to her feet. "Nice of you to invite yourself in." Their. Sarcasm.

_First chance I get, I have to attack her... Maybe, if I catch her off guard...? I just have to think like Damon..._

"Yes, and I must say I'm surprised you don't have a human living with you," said Pearl. "How do you keep out unwelcome vampires?"

Action first, thought second. Elena had a hand around Pearl's throat, as she spat out, "I kill them."

Veins appeared beneath brown eyes, fangs appearing as Pearl gripped her wrist. Pain flared in Elena's arm as it was bent backward, only ceasing when Pearl released her to fall onto the sofa with an ordered, "Sit." Elena did as told, eying the vampire warily.

Pearl started talking as if she hadn't just been attacked. As if they were old friends. "The tomb vampires and I have settled in a Farm House just outside Mystic Falls."

"Wait, they escaped?" asked Elena, nearly getting up again at this. A look from Pearl halted her.

"The witches messed up the tomb spell," Anna chimed in.

"And... all twenty-some of them are living with you?"

Pearl said, "A few left town. The rest are trying to acclimate, like Anna and myself. This town is our home, and we plan on taking it back."

Elena stared for a moment. "You mean like... some big revenge scheme? These aren't the same people that trapped you. That was over a hundred years ago."

"We're not here for revenge," Pearl clarified. "However, I need you to do some things for me. I heard that the Founder's have a secret council, and you're on it." How had Damon ever managed to get on the council? Elena had little time to ponder it as Pearl continued, "I will need a list of all the people on the council and their family members. Also, I heard you're supplying them with vervain. That will have to stop."

Panic only grew with every spoken word. "I'm not just going to do what you tell me to do," Elena said. She couldn't betray her friends like that. She wouldn't.

"If you do, I'm willing to give you the one thing you want most," said Pearl. At Elena's blank stare, she continued, "Katherine."

"...what?" Thank god Damon wasn't here! Who knew what he'd do if he was given this offer? Still, she had to give a Damon-esque response. "How would you even know where she is?"

"Katherine and I were best friends long before we ever went to Mystic Falls," said Pearl. "I know her thoughts and her patterns. I can find her."

Elena really doubted finding Katherine was that easy. "Even if you could find Katherine, you can't _give _her to me. She's made it clear she wants nothing to do with me, and you know what? I want nothing to do with her, too. If she did she would've shown up during the last 145 years. And I refuse to be your little minion."

Pearl's eyes became piercing, aura dark and intimidating. Elena went to shrink back into the sofa, hoping to become invisi-

White hot, immobilizing pain. She couldn't even scream, voice stuck in her throat, only whimpers and groans escaping. The thumbs shoved in her eye sockets pulled out, leaving her gasping and trembling on the floor, on her hands and knees.

Elena could barely make out Pearl's words through the flaring pain, as she said, "I could rip you limb from limb without blinking, and you know it. I'll be in touch."

* * *

_Buzzzz buzzzz buzzzz_. "Ouch!" Damon winced. The moment he decided to test out the eyeliner pencil, he got a text and poked himself in the eye with it. Go figure. The text could wait for him to rinse out his poor eyeball...

When he finally got to it, he found three messages, all from 'Damon'.

_11:08 am_

_Pearl threatened me. We need to talk._

_11:09 am_

_She poked out my eyes with her thumbs! They grew back, thank God, but it seriously freaked me out._

So complaining about the eyeliner thing was off the list... He winced, regretful that Elena had to deal with all this. He could handle threats and pain. He wasn't sure she could. At least not to that extent.

_11:09 am_

_Please hurry. Tomb vamps escaped. Freaking out here._

That answered that. To the Salvatore Boarding House it was.

He ran right into Anna on his way out. "What are you doing here?" he demanded.

"She's a friend of mine," said Jeremy, entering the hall from his bedroom. "She's cool."

Damon tried to keep his expression neutral. He'd talk to Elena about it. For now, he cast them both strange looks and made for the front door.

* * *

When Damon entered the Salvatore Boarding House, Elena was immediately before him. He looked up at her, taking in the sunglasses. The tensed features. "...are you alright?" he asked.

"I just had my eyes stabbed out by a vampire's thumbs. I am not alright." Her voice was shaking. "Damon, what're we going to do? What if she comes back?"

He placed a hand on her trembling forearm. If she wasn't a vampire, he'd be worried she was about to go into cardiac arrest. "C'mon, let's sit down. You can tell me what happened." He heard slight sniffling, even as he saw no sign of tears. That could have been a side effect of the tear ducts being destroyed, though. She gave a slight nod.

Once they had resettled on the couch, she began to relay the events to him.

"-and told me to stop supplying the Founder's Council with vervain. I can't do that. I have friends whose parents are on the Founder's Council. Damon, I don't want to do what she says. I won't."

"Bonnie should be at school tomorrow. She'll switch us back and you won't have to deal with Pearl anymore." It sounded good in theory.

"Will you do what she wants?" Elena asked, horrified.

"Of course not," he scoffed. "I won't follow orders because of a bit of pain. I'm not afraid of her." Even if she happened to be a thousand times stronger than him, and could kill him in an instant... Nonetheless, death would be better than becoming Pearl's minion. Elena didn't look any less worried. "Just relax. Tomorrow Bonnie will help us get this all sorted out, and you won't have to worry about it."

* * *

"-and you have English last. Can you remember all that?"

As traumatized as Elena was last night, she sure appeared fine this morning. Damon replied, "For the most part. Doesn't matter, since you wrote it down for me." He held up the paper with class instructions, locker combo, relationships, teachers' names, and everything else he could possibly need to be Elena at school. "Besides, it's only for one day. Even if I do mess up, it won't really effect you."

Elena gave a brief nod, anxiety plastered across her features. Damon was still just as taken aback by Elena's emotions on his body as he had been when the switch had first happened. He headed for the stairs.

"Wait!" Elena's shout caused Damon to pause. "I'll drive you to school. So I know you actually went."

Damon raised a brow. "We need Bonnie's help. Of course I'm actually going. I don't _enjoy _being in your body, Elena." Well, he did, but he much preferred to be in his own. If only so Elena wouldn't have to deal with being a vampire with endless enemies. When she didn't make any continued effort to stop him, he made his way out by himself.

* * *

"...Elena? Are you alright?" Caroline observed her friend, who remained fixed to her phone. She leaned over, catching a glimpse of the screen. "...you're texting _Damon_?" Caroline nearly flinched as brown eyes suddenly locked on her, brimming with intensity.

"Why hasn't Bonnie shown up today?"

Caroline frowned, trying to comprehend what her friend meant. "Because she hasn't woken up yet...?"

Elena's scowl was scary, and somehow made Caroline think of Damon. "It's lunch time. I really doubt she's sleeping in this late."

"Sleeping in?" Suddenly, it all made sense to Caroline. "No one told you?"

"Told me what?"

Caroline backed away from her scary friend. "Bonnie fell into a coma a few days ago. She's in the hospital."

"_What_?"

"Don't yell at me. I didn't know you weren't told," said Caroline. "I thought her family would call you, too." Elena didn't even glance at her, getting up and making a run for the parking lot.

Caroline sighed, getting up from the picnic table. Maybe she could find Matt and hang out with him.

"Caroline? Have you seen Elena?"

The blond looked up at the sound of Stefan's voice. "Yeah. I told her Bonnie's in a coma, and she freaked out and ran away. Literally."

Stefan narrowed his eyes in ponderment. Caroline liked Stefan. He may disappear and reappear randomly, but he was hot and nice. A rare specimen. He interrupted her thoughts as he said, "Did she tell you where she was going? She won't answer my texts."

Caroline shrugged. "Beats me. Maybe the hospital? Or maybe to Damon, she _was _texting him a lot." It was only when Stefan suddenly disappeared that she wondered if it had been ok to tell him that. She hoped she hadn't broken the friend code on accident.

* * *

She was so still... How had this happened? Elena sniffed, gently placing a hand on top of Bonnie's left one. "What if she isn't the one that did this to us?" she asked, tearfully, the words sounding pitiful and heartbreaking when coming from Damon's body. "Or what if she did, and we're stuck like this forever? What if she never wakes up?" Her breathing was erratic. "_What are we going to do_?"

A small, yet firm hand was placed on her shoulder, guiding her to look at Damon. His feminine brown eyes were deep and hard to read. "We'll find a way to fix this, even if we have to go find another witch. Besides, the nurse told us she could wake up at any time. And the fact she's passed out just proves to me that she's the cause of this. I'm betting it took too much energy out of her, and knocked her out."

Elena sniffed, wiping a runny nose with the back of her hand. "I hope so. I really do." At the sound of her phone buzzing- most definitely not for the first time that afternoon- she lifted it to her ear. "Stefan?" She cleared her throat, forcing her voice to come out stronger the next time she spoke.

"_Is Elena with you? She's not answering her texts, and her phone goes straight to voicemail."_

"Yeah, she's here. Probably just busy freaking out over her comatose friend." There. Almost managed sarcasm, despite the anxiety pulsing through her.

"_Keep her company until I get there. She shouldn't have to be alone right now." _

"You want me to-"

"_I know you care for her, Damon. Do this for her._" The line went dead.

At Damon's expectant look, Elena explained, "Stefan's on his way. You might want to look a bit more depressed."

"You might want to look a bit _less _depressed," he replied, even as he fixed his expression into one of sorrow.

Elena rubbed the tears from her eyes, taking deep breaths. He was right.

The door flew open, Stefan immediately approaching Damon-in-Elena's-body as he entered the room. "Caroline told me. I got here as soon as I could."

Elena was distracted from her own misery by Damon's behavior. Somehow, he managed to have tears rolling down his human cheeks, big doe eyes deep with emotion as he clung onto Stefan for dear life.

"What did this to her?" sobbed Damon. If Elena didn't know better, she'd think he was being sincere. "Why is she in a coma, Stefan?"

Stefan tightened his embrace on 'Elena's body'. Elena couldn't help but be touched by the display. Stefan mouthed a 'thank you' to her.

"C'mon, I'll drive you home," said Stefan, guiding Damon out. Damon clung onto Stefan the entire time, keeping up the act of traumatized teenager; protecting their secret.

_Or is he_? Elena grimaced. What if Damon was really just doing it because he wanted to touch Stefan? She had been the one to suggest Damon reciprocates Stefan's touch, but it had been with the thought that he'd be forcing himself through it. Not that he'd be looking forward to it- enjoying it even.

With a thought-plagued mind, she headed to the Salvatore Boarding House.

* * *

Stefan paused for a moment outside the Boarding House door, listening intently. Determining his brother was inside, he entered. He followed his ears to his own room, pausing at the doorway.

"Damon" lay on his back on Stefan's bed, staring blankly at the ceiling.

"Damon?"

Damon sat up, eying Stefan with confusion. But there was also... _pain _in those brilliant blue orbs. What was wrong with his brother? Was he remembering Katherine again? If so, why was he so quiet? Pain plus Damon usually equalled catastrophe, blood, and/ or carnage. "Weren't you going to spend the night with Elena?" Damon asked.

"She wanted to be alone tonight," Stefan informed. He treaded with slow, cautious steps towards his brother, waiting for him to start acting normal any moment. "What's going on with you? You aren't acting like yourself."

Damon cringed. _Very _un-Damon-like. "You noticed."

"And...?" Stefan pressed. Blue orbs were suddenly locked on him, intense and inescapable.

"The truth is... Bonnie cast a spell," said Damon. He paused, looking like he was thinking hard.

"A... spell? On you?"

"She cast a spell... to make me human. But instead, it just ended up messing with my head."

"That would explain a lot of things," Stefan admitted. From Damon's foreign expressions, to the way he ran to the hospital to see the comatose Bonnie, it helped Stefan put some pieces together.

His brother abruptly got up, making for the door. "As nice as this brotherly chat is, I've got better things to do with my time." It was like a switch had been flipped. The sad, desperate gaze had changed into indifferent cockiness. To do such a 180... Bonnie's spell really must be messing with Damon's head.

"I can't let you go out there like that. You're unstable."

Damon raised a brow. "You think you can stop me? On your diet of woodland creatures?"

Normally Stefan would know he stood no chance. But with this whole spell thing... He didn't fully understand it, but clearly it messed with Damon's emotions. If he could find a way to use _that _against Damon, he'd have a chance.

Damon must have taken Stefan's silence as a sign he had given up, continuing on his trek to the front door.

The sound of snapping wood filled the air, as Stefan slammed Damon up against the wall. Blue eyes flared with fury, Stefan yelling out in pain as a broken chair leg entered his abdomen. Doubled over, he grasped the wood in his right hand. The blood made his grip slippery. He chanced a look up, taken aback by the look of worry on Damon's face. There really was something wrong with his brother...

Yanking out the wood, he immediately stabbed it into Damon's abdomen, pressing the blue-eyed vampire against the floor and twisting. How much time did Stefan have before Damon regained his senses? Judging by the rapidly changing expression on his brother's face, not much. He had to do something. Something that would help keep Damon in his weirdly-weak-emotional-spelled-state... Something that would give Stefan the upper hand... But what? What had made Damon react strangely in the last few days?

When the struggling faded, Stefan knew he had made the right choice. He had a hard time thinking beyond that, as Damon returned the unexpected kiss. Stefan's head swam with pleasure as arms wrapped around him, holding him closer.

It felt... different than he remembered. Gentler. Sweeter. It didn't feel like Damon at all. He couldn't place it, but somehow, it still managed to feel familiar... He couldn't help but welcome the strange embrace, his body recognizing the way it was being treated, despite the fact Damon couldn't have ever done such things before... Damon had always been so rough.

The way Damon nibbled on his lower lip was so different, and yet...

A sudden shove sent him flying, crashing into the sofa. He forced his eyes to open through the pain, looking around. Damon was gone.

* * *

**A.N:** _Hope you enjoyed! Please review :)_


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